Under the reform laws, all health plans must cover prenatal and maternity services. This will not be a change for the vast majority employer-based group plans, since these had to be covered as any other illness under previous non-discrimination laws. (A few group plans — such as plans covering Catholic priests and nuns — had not covered these services.)

It is a change for some non-group or “individual” plans. Some people found this burdensome or absurd — why would a plan for a single man need to cover services he could never need? It’s a bit academic, since the rate charged for the single man would not need to take into account prenatal care; but the contract itself will state that the service is covered. The same is true for plans covering post-menopausal women or people who have sworn to celibacy.

Anyway, health reform didn’t change coverage for prenatal and maternity care. It only changed which plans have to cover it.